Lost to the Silenced
by Sugarstars and Ice
Summary: After a joyous reunion, Dust and Fidget find themselves mistakenly wandering into a hidden village where things seem to be veiled in cryptic mystery. Something unknown and dark appears to be in the works, and little do the two know they only have a few days to escape the village of Briarheart before they are sealed within it forever. Rated T for violence in later chapters. [HIATUS]
1. Chapter 1 - Return to the Start

_**Aaah it's been some time since I did a multi-chapter story! I hope this turns out alright.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Dust: An Elysian Tail but I do recommend it!**_

 _ **...**_

Something felt vaguely familiar.

Darkness, all he saw currently was darkness. He was surprised he could more or less tell that, surprised he still seemed to have a consciousness that could tell him that.

It was like being plunged to the very bottom of a deep, inky lake. He couldn't feel, couldn't move, and everything felt heavy. Though at the same time, it was like he was very slowly floating up, up to the surface. Gradually things became a bit lighter, a bit less heavy. Slowly, thoughts and memories came seeping back.

A single memory came into focus. A bright light turned into a flame, the flame was surrounded by stone. The stone was hot and smoking. Flames turned into a river of fire under a red sky, and people were running amid the heat and smoke. A blurry figure fell into the fire rivers below, and rock and stone were crumbling everywhere.

Voices, sad voices were calling out his name.

And then the fire river swallowed him too.

It had abruptly become so vivid, he almost felt the heat from the vision.

Dust blinked his eyes open.

No fire, no smoke, no heat. Shade was dappling the ground around him, cast from emerald canopies that wove themselves together from above. Sunlight poked its way through the gaps between branches and greenery, casting a gentle warmth on his body as it gradually inched overhead. Grass registered next, the blades cradling his body and tickling his hands, and the fox involuntarily closed his fist, plucking the blades from the ground.

He blinked again.

It can't be.

Dust's right arm raised, fist still closed around the clumps of grass he had ripped out, and he slowly opened it, letting the blades come twirling down onto his chest. They were real.

Dust let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and slowly shifted both feet, as if testing to make sure they still worked. They moved on command, much to his surprise. In his last foggy memory, he hadn't been able to feel his legs for some reason, among every other pang and burn he had been feeling.

He braced both hands on the ground on either side of his body, and gently pushed himself into a sitting position. His head spun briefly, forcing him to shut his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. Once the vertigo settled down, he allowed himself to see once again.

The Glade.

He wasn't sure why he was so certain about that, but he was. The flowers, the shaded clearing, the distant sound of water and small creatures moving about in the undergrowth. He spotted his satgat lying off to his side, and he quickly regained it and set it back on his head, feeling at ease with the sense of familiarity it brought.

Wasn't this where…?

"Ah...good, you have finally awakened, Master."

Dust startled and jerked his gaze to his left. A rather extravagant sword was there, levitating just a few inches off the ground in a cloud of bluish aura. His words stumbled in his mouth, but he managed to recollect the name of the sword among all his fuzzy and mixed up thoughts, "A-Ahrah…"

"Good, you still retain your memories." The sword hummed, the scriptures along its blade blinking noticeably as it spoke, "I was worried you would not."

"M-my memories…?" Dust murmured, rubbing his head tenderly as he let the world finish sinking in around him. Speaking was odd, his voice sounded hoarse and strained, as if he had not spoken for a long time, "Was...wait...is this...The Glade?"

"Indeed it is, Dust. If you can recall this, this was the very place you accepted me as your weapon." Ahrah said, still silently drifting above the grass.

"...This very spot…?" Dust asked, allowing himself to look around at his surroundings. The dizziness he had experienced upon waking up seemed to be subsiding finally, allowing him to make more movements.

"Not quite. We are in another part of The Glade from when we first met, I believe, but still in the area." Ahrah paused, "do remember anything else at all?"

"Y-yeah…" Dust murmured, letting his eyes drift down and wander about his person. He stared emptily at his vest, lingered for a moment on the brass fastener on his cape, his boots, "I was...somewhere very hot...last time…?"

"Yes, you were." Ahrah confirmed, but did not add on. It seemed like he wanted Dust to try and decipher his own cloudy memories rather than tell him everything that had happened.

Dust frowned, "The...the...volcano. Everdawn...The Everdawn Basin?" he asked, blinking as the memory of the name of the place brought an onslaught of new memories. Soldiers running, cannons blasting, airships cutting through the air and shrapnel whistling through the wind as they crashed in firey explosions. Yes, a battle had taken place there.

"Yes Dust, and do you remember what you did there?"

Dust blinked, remembering the blurry figure. The figure was associated with anger, hatred, exhaustion, and strangely enough, mercy. General Gaius's name came to mind, and with it, all the stories and names of those associated. They came on so strongly, Dust's head ached sharply, and he lowered it into his hands, groaning.

Ahrah drifted a bit closer, "Do not strain yourself, Dust. What has happened in these recent events was something of a phenomenon. Even I did not foresee such events to unfold."

"Events...you mean...when I fought and defeated Gaius…?" Dust asked, raising his head slowly as the memories slowed their aching stream in his head.

"No," Ahrah continued, "not that. Do you...remember what happened, after you won the battle…?" Its voice had softened a bit, its words tentative as it spoke that sentence.

Dust blinked his eyes shut, remembering how at the end, the very end, the crater he had beaten Gaius in suddenly exploded and had sent him flying. The rock and stone around them had crumbled, magma had begun pouring in from cracks in the sides, erupting from the ground, filling the area with a pool of orange. He had watched Gaius plummet into the pool. He had let himself be devoured by an onslaught of magma streams. He had been so tired, too weak to regain his feet, and had let the magma river swallow him and the Life Thread lead him someplace beyond the darkness.

And yet, he was here?

"Yes...I do…" Dust murmured, "But...how? Ahrah I...I died, didn't I? In the lava…"

"Yes...you did." Ahrah spoke slowly, "You were taken by the Life Thread, and yet...something I couldn't explain happened." The sword paused, as if it were trying to form its words properly, "I had landed on a high ledge after the explosion, out of the magma's reach. And when I sensed your life force fade, I too, began to fade. And yet, even when I thought I would be gone, due to my master's death, I found myself rising again. You had taken some ethereal form, and ascended from the crater…and I followed you as you drifted away from the Everdawn Basin."

"And...I stopped here?"

"You did."

"My body is...I have a physical body again…"

"You do."

"No burns or any of the injuries I had before...my clothes are even still intact…"

"That they are."

Questions bombarded Dust's mind, and he longed to let them out to make any sense of why he would just suddenly return from the dead like he did. And with his body and clothing still completely intact, which seemed something beyond his understanding, considering his death had been literally being burnt up by magma. If anything should be left of his body, it should be ashes.

Before Dust could ask how this was all even possible, a shriek erupted from above. The fox tensed and tightened his right fist instinctively, forgetting for a moment he wasn't holding Ahrah at the moment. A small shape shot down from seemingly nowhere, slamming him squarely in the chest with enough force to knock his breath out momentarily.

 _"_ _DUUUUST!"_

The orange nimbat was crying, gripping the front of his top in both paws and burying her face in the fabric.

Fidget! How could he possibly let her slip from his mind? She had been such a big part of the last few events as well…

"F-Fidget!" Dust cried, not sure what to do or say in response just yet. He could hear her muffled sobs through his shirt, her tiny body trembling.

Finally, she raised her head, blinking large tears out of her dark eyes and rubbing her nose roughly with one paw, "I-I-I thought you were dead! D-Dust…! You were…" she gasped loudly, shaking her head, "Oh no...you're not a ghost, are you? Dust please don't be a scary evil g-ghost now! I don't think I can take it if you-"

"Fidget! I'm not a ghost!" Dust huffed, shaking his head, though he was inwardly touched at Fidget's rather emotional reaction to his return was. His memories of Fidget came slipping back, their first meeting, the first time they learned how to use her projectiles in battle, her snarky way of talking and the way she would cry out in terror at nearly everything at first. Yes, despite how talkative she had been, Dust admitted he felt much more at ease and grounded with her presence.

"Y-y-you…? Oh, Dust...I thought I'd never see you again…" the little nimbat whimpered, "I...I didn't want to leave you like you said b-but…" she sniffled loudly, trying to paw the tears away from her face, "A-and I saw that glowy thing fly out of the ground a-and Ahrah following it and I flew after it as fast as I could! But it was too fast and I was so scared I really wasn't gonna see either of you again…" Fidget paused to catch her breath, shaky with sobs, and tried to regain her composure.

"F-Fidget...It's good to see you again too…" Dust murmured, giving her a small, albeit somewhat awkward pat on the head. Fidget sniffled, lifting back into flight and hovering over him,

"D-Dust you don't understand...I've been trying to track you for days! Maybe almost a week! I tried to ask if anyone saw flying blue ghosty stuff and they weren't much help…"

Dust stiffened, "A week?"

"I was about to give up too! It was gonna hurt me to but still…" Fidget kept going, "but on a whim I guess...I decided to come look here…and there you were!"

"Fidget...wait a minute…" Dust murmured, "A week? Exactly how long was I...er...gone…?"

Fidget blinked, looking off into the distance as she thought, "Umm...not super long...I don't think...I saw that ghosty stuff fly out of the Everdawn Basin the same evening you...died...and I've been trying to follow it ever since…" she frowned, "I think it's been a week anyways. It felt like forever though...I just wish I'd come here sooner…"

"Well, you're here now, and that's what matters, right?" The fox smiled at her, trying to regain his feet, "I guess...it's a relief I haven't been gone all that long, then."

"I'll say!" Fidget cried, "Like, imagine if you'd been gone for months or even years! I don't think I could deal with that at all, you know? Especially since that ghosty stuff made me think...maybe you weren't gone after all?"

"It is a very strange turn of events, isn't it?" Ahrah said, drifting over to the two of them where it had been silently hovering during their reunion, "not even I can guess as to why you have been returned from the Life Thread, Dust, or how it was possible for something like this to occur. Perhaps one day the answer will be revealed to us."

"Yeah...perhaps…" Dust replied, finally managing to stand without too much effort. His legs felt a bit shaky and a bit heavy, as if he hadn't been walking for some time. Nevertheless, feeling returned to them as he allowed himself a moment to stand upright, "well...now do we head back to…" He paused, briefly searching for the name, "...right...Aurora Village now?"

"Oh my, we should, shouldn't we?" Fidget murmured, wringing her paws anxiously, "I-I mean, the last anyone heard of you was that you had sacrificed yourself to defeat the general guy! Everyone thinks you're dead!"

"Right then...but...where do we go from here? I've never been in this part of The Glade before." Dust asked, looking expectantly at the Blade of Ahrah for an answer. After all, it had known which direction to go the first time he had woken up here.

The sword was puzzlingly silent for a moment, as if it were contemplating something, "I...apologies, master...I can't seem to sense where the village is at the moment…"

Dust blinked, "You can't? But aren't we nearby?"

"I cannot explain exactly what this feeling is, but something...there is an interference I cannot explain, and it is hindering me in some way. I cannot place where we are in relation to anywhere at the moment, except that we are in The Glade somewhere."

"Oh, great...:" Fidget huffed, hanging her head in resignation, "Dust comes back to life via some miracle and now we're all gonna get jumped by monsters because we're lost."

"Don't worry Fidget, I can still fight, remember?" Dust reassured, taking Ahrah into his grip. He sighed as familiarity sunk in again, and he turned to examine their surroundings, "So, you can't sense anything at all, Ahrah? Not even someplace closer like, the place where we first met? If we could at least get to there, I can remember the rest by myself."

"I am sorry Dust, I cannot see anything. We will have to search for some familiar landmarks until this interference ceases." the sword said regretfully, emitting a low hiss of a sighing sound.

"Ugh...what luck." Fidget groaned, "I just hope we find something familiar soon, I'm starting to get hungry and it's gonna be dusk soon."

"Hold on," Dust said, glancing at Fidget, "You can fly, Fidget. Can you maybe get an overhead view of the area? Maybe you'll see that clearing we first met at."

"Umm…" Fidget mumbled apprehensively, "You see...if I knew where that was, I would have checked for you there at first...and I couldn't find it right away so that's why I was searching the whole place…"

Dust sighed, "You don't have much of a navigational sense, do you?"

Fidget sucked in a breath, shooting him a nervous grin, "Unfortunately…" Dust resisted the urge to smack his forehead in exasperation,

"Alright, alright. We'll just walk around and look for a landmark or a trail or something." Dust huffed, beginning his stride forward, "I guess it's not the worst monster-ridden place to be lost anyways. I've killed off so many of these things, fighting them should hardly be a struggle."

"Yeah, lucky for us." Fidget muttered, fluttering after him into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2 - Detour

"How about that tree right there? The one with the really spindly branches? I might have seen it somewhere before."

"Fidget, we've passed by a lot of trees with branches like that so far."

"Yeah but...that one the biggest!"

"I think I would have remembered seeing that the first time."

"Oh okay...um...that big rock over there maybe? It's big and flat and smooth, and we might have-"

"That definitely wasn't there around the place we were at."

"Ahh...right…"

They hadn't been walking around for too long, but enough time to realize the area was a completely different one than the one they were familiar with previously. There wasn't a clear trail through the trees no noticeable trees or boulders anywhere that were recognizable. At this point, it looked like the three were doomed to spending a night in the wilderness since none of them seemed to have the slightest sense of where to go.

"Ugh...I don't want to spend the night out here…" Fidget muttered, "not when I know there's monsters lurking around somewhere, waiting for easy prey like us to just fall asleep and become easy pickings for 'em…"

"Come on now, Fidget. We've been in worse places, haven't we?" Dust said, "remember when we had to camp just outside of the Sorrowing Meadows at the base of the Blackmoor Mountains? It was pretty cold and we were still pretty close to those zombie creatures."

"Don't remind me." Fidget said dryly.

"Well...on the bright side, we haven't actually run into any monsters yet, have we?" Dust asked, shrugging, "it's been pretty quiet actually, so far."

"Maybe we're in a quiet area." Fidget suggested, then groaned and lowered her head into her paws, "Ohhh...does that mean we have to find some and follow the trail of monsters back to Aurora? I remember a lot lived on that route back…"

"Maybe, maybe not. For now, I don't even know where to find monsters right this moment, and I'd rather not go looking for them just yet." Dust replied, kicking an egg-sized stone of of his path and absently watching it bounce into a nearby shrub.

"Good." Fidget huffed, "To be honest I'm really not in a mood to fight right now an-...oh?" She cocked her head at something in the distance and fluttered toward it, off to Dust's left.

"Fidget? Where are you going?" Dust called after her, following right behind. She headed right for an area where several boulders lay near felled trees and rotten logs. Behind the torn-looking landscape, a rock face rose at the base of a large hill, about twice as tall as Dust. The nimbat came to a stop in front of it, staring at it curiously. Dust skidded to a stop next to her, turning his head and shooting her a confused and partially frustrated glance,

"Fidget?"

"Oh, sorry about the detour, Dust. I just…" She frowned crossing her arms, "I thought I sensed something from behind here."

"Behind this wall?" Dust prompted, reaching out a hand to touch it. It was definitely a rock wall, "is it your nimbat sixth sense, by any chance?"

"Yeah, something like that." Fidget replied, darting off to the side to examine the side of the wall. Its width extended backwards into the hill, looking like the earth had devoured it. Fidget sped off to the opposite side, and made a sound of surprise, "oh, Dust! Lookie here, there's a crevasse here!"

"Fidget, I thought we were supposed to be finding some way to get back to Aurora?" Dust muttered, though he followed her to the crevasse in question just for a look. Indeed, a long split ran up the wide width of the rock wall, probably long and wide enough for him to fit in without much difficulty. There wasn't much light beyond the crack, however. By the looks of it, it was most likely some cave that had gotten blocked off over the passage of time.

"I know...but we aren't having much luck, and I'm just a bit curious to see if there's any treasure hidden in there."

"Well, why don't you fly in and tell me?" Dust challenged, glancing at the smaller creature expectantly.

Fidget shook her head, chuckling uneasily, "Nah...I was hoping you'd go in there while I wait out here."

Dust shot her a wry smile, "And here I thought you weren't afraid of the dark." Fidget groaned in exasperation,

"For the hundredth time, I'm not! I've mentioned before that we nimbats just don't like flying into dark and endlessly gloomy caves. That's all!" She pouted. Dust tried to bite back a teasing laugh,

"Oh no, you wanted to see what it was so badly, why don't you fly in first and I'll follow?" Fidget huffed at him in annoyance, and in a blink darted into the crevasse, much faster and sooner than Dust expected. As he promised, the fox stepped in after her, blinking to adjust his eyes to the gloom.

"Dust, is this a wise decision? We were supposed to be finding some way of getting back on track to Aurora Village." Ahrah's voice sounded in the din, sounding with disapproval. Dust sighed quietly,

"I don't know, Ahrah. We haven't had much luck finding any way of getting back on track, and you're still being interfered by something. I guess it wouldn't be much trouble to just see what treasure Fidget seems to be sensing." He huffed under his breath, "Too bad she can't sense where the nearest town is."

"Very well Dust, but I would still advise you two to be cautious. As I said, the interference is preventing me from sensing any incoming dangers as well, so be aware you may confront an enemy at any time." The sword warned, and Dust nodded,

"I hear you, Ahrah, we'll be careful."

The inside of the crack did indeed look to extend back into a cave, completely dark save for the outlines of some shapes in the distance. To his surprise, Fidget had flown ahead of him. He supposed he should feel guilty about teasing her, now that he was aware they could be in danger without Ahrah to forewarn them.

"Dust! Where are you?" Fidget's voice echoed back at him, from somewhere farther in the cave.

"Fidget! I'm coming toward you, okay? I should probably tell you to be careful, Ahrah can't sense if there's anything dangerous that lives in here." Dust called, steadily making his way into the darkness. He reached out to the side, gently brushing his fingers along the walls of the cave to help get a sense of where he was going.

"Alright, alright, I'll be careful, but I assure you if there is anything in the area, I am totally not scared of it!" Fidget's voice huffed, "I've dealt with caves before!"

"Can you at least wait for me? I'd feel a bit better if we were closer together if it's this dark in here." Dust called out to Fidget, nearly stumbling over something large and solid in the shadows, feeling a turn coming up from the curve in the wall.

"Oooo, who's scared of the dark now, huh? _Baww don't leave me Fidget, I need you cause I'm a scaredy cat in the daaark caves!_ " Fidget's voice mocked, badly attempting to mimic his voice, " _This isn't actually a cape I'm wearing, it's my baby blankie because I'm such a scaredy cat!_ "

Dust rolled his eyes, regretting having to damage her pride to make her come in here, "Alright, alright, you're taking what I said far too personally." His ears twitched as they picked up the soft sound of Fidget's wings, which also echoed a bit in the cave depths. He must be closing the distance between the two of them. Good, hopefully Fidget will let go long enough to realize that they should probably stay close in this cave, as it was turning out to be much larger than Dust previously anticipated.

He rounded the corner, surprised to see an exit to the cave that appeared to lead them back outside. He saw Fidget's silhouette in the exitway, hovering in place as she waited. As he approached, she darted outside, sticking her tongue out teasingly, "Hah! Who's scared of the dark now, not m-"

They both stopped short as a dark cloud was shot out of seemingly nowhere at Fidget, causing her eyes to widen and her paws to fly and grip at her throat, "D-Du…!" she gagged, losing altitude.

"Fidget!" Dust yelled, launching himself forward toward her. As he did, another dark mist shot out from the other side, bombarding him with deathly-smelling fumes that seemed to burn his very flesh. He almost lost composure at how fast and sudden the second blast was, but his hands quickly found Fidget's sinking body and he swiftly threw his body out of the miasma of thick ebony clouds, Fidget's body held close to his chest. He turned his head from where he had landed on his side, letting out a breath to see the black mist hover only in place around the cave mouth before dissipating. He then noticed the two large plants on either side of the entrance. They were circular, both about the size of a wagon wheel, with dark green and red-spotted petals that frayed out in all directions. They were close to the ground but held up by thick, twisted, dark stems studded with fang-shaped thorns. They were unlike any plant Dust had seen thus far.

He attempted to get up, but an explosion of dizziness overtook him and he collapsed back onto his side, his legs feeling shaky and unstable. "What?"

He remembered Fidget in a heartbeat and looked down at where he held her. She hadn't moved, and appeared to be unconscious and completely limp in his arms. Not even her wings twitched, as they often did while she slept. Dust gritted his teeth nervously, struck with the awful thought that Fidget might be…

He laid her down on the ground and gently pressed two of his fingers against her chest, relaxing as he felt her heartbeat. Good, she wasn't dead.

"Master, forgive me, I was not even aware those were there." Ahrah sounded, and sounded as remorseful as a sentient weapon could sound, "You and Fidget were both hit by it."

"It's okay, Ahrah…" Dust began, only to suddenly be interrupted by a sudden violent coughing fit that left his throat sore and burning, "you mentioned...an interference. But...what was that…?" Dust lowered his head into one hand, shutting his eyes tiredly, "I feel weak…" he groaned.

"I believe those were...rancor blossoms. They're an uncommon type of plant with roots that grow close to the surface of the earth, and if one were to tread on its roots, it would release a very potent cloud of spores that afflict any creature nearby." The sword paused, "But it's very strange... rancor blossoms are only known to grow in marshlands, and they typically don't grow so close together."

"Well I guess it's our unlucky day." Dust groaned, trying to gather enough energy to stand back up. Those spores must have been pretty strong to have him on the ground so soon, and this and the fact he was struggling to get back up made him worry for Fidget, who was much smaller and probably unable to take the kind of damage he could.

Ahrah voiced his thoughts, "Dust, you may escape most of the severity of the rancor blossom spores due to your size, but Fidget…"

Dust managed to at least rise to his knees, still holding Fidget's body close. She was breathing faintly and unevenly, emitting tiny coughs every now and again. She was in bad shape, there was no doubt.

Dust himself was feeling the weakness and dizziness that forbade him from gaining both feet, the painful coughing and the fatigue. It was horrible for him, but he could only imagine how it felt for Fidget. The fox shook his head. There was no doubt about it, they needed to get to a town as soon as possible, and Aurora Village felt somewhere unreachable.

This was bad, this was very bad.

Dust glanced about the area-which was surprisingly rich with trees and plantlife-grimacing as he saw cliffs and rock walls surrounding the area around the cave mouth, , fencing them in and extending far into the distance. The walls looked too high to even double-jump over, and appeared to have no handholds to speak of to use for climbing. Dust hissed under his breath in frustration.

"Master," Ahrah sounded, "We should quickly leave this place, you and Fidget need to seek medical assistance immediately, and we would fare better out in The Glade than in this strange place."

"I know…" Dust murmured, casting a look at the cave mouth, "but I'm not so sure...those rancor blossoms are literally right on either side of the cave mouth, and looks like I won't be able to jump over the roots without hitting the top of the entranceway. I don't know if I want to risk rushing past them with Fidget like this." He sighed desperately, sweeping the area again with his obscured gaze, "we...I don't know...we'll need to find some way around or some other way that leads out of here…" He struggled to his feet, planting Ahrah into the ground and using it as a support until he managed to stand, albeit shakily. He tightened his arms around Fidget as he swayed briefly, praying his strength wouldn't fail him and cause him to drop her unconscious body.

 _Come on, you can't just drop dead...again...you need to get out of here. Find some help for Fidget and yourself. You have to!_

Cradling her body close with one arm, and holding Ahrah with the other, Dust started off, ears pinned back with the effort. Every step was weak and shaking, and he gritted his teeth and hoped his legs wouldn't give out anytime soon. He tried to concentrate his depleting energy into walking and keeping a hold on Fidget's body, just concentrate on those two things and keep looking for a way out.

Dust wasn't sure if they were even outside or still in the cave, at this point. It was very dim, as if it were dusk, though he wasn't sure if enough time had passed for it to be this dark. It seemed like it would be outside, though he got the sense that he wasn't, he felt like he was still closed into a space, someplace dark and hidden and far away from where he needed to be. It was a depressingly heavy feeling, and Dust shook himself impatiently. There was no time to be sulking about it now.

There were many trees, like a forest, and they kept filing back into the dim distance, with dark, ashy bark and sparse leaves that looked more dead than alive. Some had crooked branches that arched through the air and curled earthward like giant, gnarled talons coming down to pluck up any small prey on the ground, some were tall with dense canopies of leaves that seemed to droop toward the ground. Shrubs and thornbushes lined the areas around the trees, and the occasional puddle was seen off the path, despite that it didn't seem to have rained recently. The ground was growing progressively more soft and marshy underfoot, perhaps this area was more of a marshland after all, making at least a little more sense for the appearance of those rancor blossoms. Not a lot, but a little more.

The entire area was gloomy and well-shaded, so much so that Dust could probably picture this place being dim even during the day. He hoped it wasn't too dim to see if he could locate another way out of here, but frustratingly enough, it didn't appear the rock walls on either side of the area were going to disappear anytime soon.

Dust growled. He was growing more unsteady, beginning to stumble and totter off his path and everything was appearing more disorienting and dizzying around him.

He felt Fidget slip a little bit in his arms.

"Dust…!" Ahrah hummed to life, catching his attention. His grip tightened on Fidget, but he felt all of the energy seep out of him. Dust fell to his knees, quickly catching himself with one arm, the other still holding Fidget close.

"N-no...I can't…I need a moment…" Dust panted, lowering his head to start coughing violently again.

He couldn't believe this was happening. A miracle had brought him back from from his molten grave, and only for him to probably end up wasting it by stumbling around and lost in the wilderness just outside of the village he needed to get to. Or, it looked like Fidget was more likely the one to go first. She was very weak in his arms, not even a slight twitch or jerk in her unconsciousness thus far, and that worried Dust. He knew her to be quite, well, fidgety in her sleep, true to her name.

No, no it would be alright. He maybe just needed to rest for a moment. There was still time. He would get them all out of here, and Fidget and him would get a proper chance to recover, and they would rejoice again over his victory and his miraculous return to the world of the living. He just needed a moment to rest.

Dust wasn't sure which side of his personal argument he believed more, and shook his head, wincing as it antagonized another bout of vertigo. He hoped he would be able to get up in a moment and attempt to keep walking. He had to.

Right now. Right this moment.. Dust convinced himself enough and lifted his head, only to be startled by the sight in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3 - Briarheart

At first he had thought the spores had induced hallucinations in him, as he had believed he was looking as a floating purple gown fluttering toward him, but as it got closer he made out legs, a head, arms...it was a girl, perhaps only a few years older than Dust.

"O-oh my goodness…! Visit...visitors…?" She stammered, blinking down at him with large green eyes. Her pelt was very dull colored, shades of ashy grays and wooden browns, not unlike the tree bark around them. She had been well blended into her environment, save for her dress giving her away. She wore her dark brown hair back in a loose braid, and her long rabbit ears were loosely woven into the braid going down her back. Beads hung off both of her wrists and her neck.

Dust blinked, sighing silently in relief that they at least managed to find someone, even if there didn't appear to be a village nearby or anything of the sort. The fox forced himself back into a sitting up position, still keeping his arm around Fidget's body, "Y-yes...do you...live nearby by any chance…?"

The girl blinked and nodded, straightening her back and dusting off the front of her dress, despite it not having anything on it, "Yes, I do, in fact. Erm where did you…? Oh no, nevermind. You came in through the entrance with the rancor blossoms. The only entrance, actually…" she muttered, half to herself. She was rather odd in demeanor, she was constantly twitching her hands or pulling at her dress, and her eyes seemed a mite too big and a bit on the shiny side. Her voice was high-pitched and a bit tremulous, and she spoke rather quickly as well. She may have looked older than Dust, but she seemed to act closer to that of an anxious younger child.

The girl cleared her throat, and held out her hand to Dust, "Oh...I nearly forgot. M-my name is Tawny." Dust accepted her hand and she pulled him to his feet with a surprising burst of strength. The fox stumbled a bit upon regaining his feet, and Tawny quickly slipped to his side, providing her support without being asked.

"I-I'm Dust…" Dust introduced himself, trying not to lean on Tawny despite her willingness to help. He managed to hold himself steady for a moment, and gestured at Fidget's body in his arms, "...and this is Fidget."

Tawny brought a hand to her mouth as she eyed Fidget, "Oh, a n-nimbat! It's been...so long. Oh my, what happened to the poor thing?" The rabbit looked at Dust expectantly, but slapped her forehead before he could reply, "oh, stupid question, that's a stupid question, I'm sorry. I know where you came in from. It's the only entrance into this place, and it's got those dumb plants growing around it. Of course, of course." Her large eyes blinked, and she fixed her shining green eyes on Dust, "and this means you need my help! Yes, it does...and yes I'll help you too, no worries, free of charge too!"

"W-wait...slow down." Dust sighed, holding up a hand, "We just got a little lost trying to find Aurora Village, we don't mean to bother you like this…" he trailed off when he noticed that Tawny appeared to be staring at him with confusion,

"Aurora...Village? I've never heard of such a place. Not once. Oh well. And you're not bothering me at all, no! I'll gladly help you two out!" Tawny exclaimed, once again shuffling herself next to Dust, ready to be used as a support as she began guiding him along, "It's no trouble, really. I know sometimes we get travellers that stumble into our little niche from time to time, and they often get blasted by those darned rancor blossoms too, so I guess maybe that's why I've started taking to hanging around on the outskirts of the village like this. What do you know?"

"Wait...village? There's a village nearby?" Dust asked, limping beside her the best he could. Much to his chagrin, he soon found the weight of his afflicted body being supported by the rabbit girl,

"Yes! And it's coming into view soon! It's my village of Briarheart, a gem in this murky woodland!" Tawny proclaimed with whimsy, as they cut through trees and past clusters of dark toadstools.

After not much time at all, buildings loomed up in the distance. It seemed to have rolled in out of nowhere, a small and tight knit-looking village. The houses were stout, snug, and short, made of wood and sitting atop stone foundations, sitting in clusters with each other. Pools of water dotted the area and a few had small bridges laid over them for quicker navigation between buildings. Dim lights that came from some of the windows flickered like candles occasionally. A circular stone path sat in the middle of the house cluster, leading on a single trail and disappearing into the gloomy distance. It was nearly silent save for the sound of water and crickets.

Tawny led them over toward one of the larger houses, pushing open the dark wooden door and leading them inside. The inside of the house looked cozy, though it only had two other smaller chambers branching off from the main room. The room they were in had three small, white beds against the far wall, spaced out from each other. Between them, against the walls, were shelves of bottles and jars filled with miscellaneous solutions and items, and on each top shelf sat a potted plant. The middle bed had a small table full of tools next to it, and a chair on either side. Closer to the front door there was a larger table and chair with more bottles,-most of them with plant-like objects inside-stacks of paper, and pencils of varying lengths. Two large bookshelves sat against the walls opposite from each other, right next to the entrances of the other chambers.

"Lucky for you, huh? I'm the village doctor and apothecary!" Tawny beamed, kicking the door shut behind them with an unintentionally loud slam, "why don't you go put your things down, I'll be right back." She stepped away from Dust, hesitating a moment to make sure he was steady, and whisked herself into one of the other chambers.

Dust half walked, half stumbled to the beds on the far side of the room, dizziness making the room spin unbearably. He set Fidget down gently in the middle bed, taking a seat in the chair next to it and lowering his head tiredly. He allowed himself to sigh in relief upon being lucky enough to find a shelter, and a doctor on top of that. Though he found it rather strange that he never knew of this village beforehand, and that girl Tawny in turn didn't know of Aurora Village, especially since the supposed distance between the two wasn't so far.

 _Perhaps she just doesn't get out much or something?_ Dust wondered, absently wiping perspiration off his forehead. Before he could get deeper into his speculation, Tawny returned. The earth-colored rabbit strode over to the shelves near them, flicking her eyes down at Fidget as she shifted and took a few bottles from their places, setting them on the desk next to the bed Fidget was lying in.

"Anyways, to business!" Tawny announced, clearing her throat and straightening her back. A stern look settled into her gaze as it travelled over Dust and Fidget, "now then, can you guess how long you were standing in the rancor blossom spores?" her voice had surprisingly snapped to a more professional, less giddy-sounding tone. Dust blinked, scratching his arm,

"Uh...not very long. I saw Fidget get caught in it first, and got us out of it as quickly as I could," he paused for another coughing fit, "not more than a few seconds."

"Oh, that's good." Tawny hummed, opening some of the bottles and putting samples of their contents into an empty container that had been sitting on the desk prior, "this might sound surprising, but a lot of people don't realize they're caught in the spores and get out before it sticks to them. If you'd lingered in the mist much longer, it would have condensed and stuck to your fur and clothes, which would make it even worse to deal with."

"Good for us, then…" Dust said quietly, gazing down at Fidget. The little nimbat was still unconscious, unmoving save for a rising and falling of her chest, "will Fidget be okay, though?"

The rabbit frowned, mostly in thought, and leaned over the nimbat, "Well, with all the times I had to treat patients with rancor blossom spores in the past, I can say it's hardly something to worry about, so long as it got treatment right away." Tawny's gaze softened a bit as Fidget's body was wracked with another coughing spell, "though you should know my patients were not nimbats nor as small as them."

Dust's ears drooped with worry, "Is there any chance she…?"

Tawny turned back to her bottles, pouring a viscous substance into the container, "Maybe. If it hasn't been too long then she might pull through." She pulled a few leaves out of a jar and sprinkled them in, "I can't be certain though." At Dust's worried frown, she offered a small grin, "I don't think you were too late."

Silence settled between them, interrupted occasionally by Dust and Fidget's coughing. Tawny finished what she was preparing, and leaned over the nimbat's body again. With one hand, she gently sat her up and held a small cup with the medicine she had made up to Fidget's mouth with the other. Dust watched in tense silence as Tawny dosed her, keeping her upright for a few seconds to let the medicine trickle down her throat, before laying her back down again. The rabbit turned and handed a second dose of the medicine to Dust, "Take the whole thing, it'll stop the coughing and lower the fever, but it will probably put you to sleep for several hours."

Dust shrugged and did as instructed, flattening his ears at the taste. It wasn't necessarily bitter like most medicine was, but it had a very strange taste. Like peppermint and tree bark.

"You can have that bed next to you. There isn't much left I can do for your friend at the moment but to let her sleep and let the medicine take effect. If something happens you can come and get me. I'll be up for a bit." Tawny said, pulling the blankets over Fidget's body.

"Thank you Tawny, I appreciate your help." Dust said, shifting over to the left side bed and leaning Ahrah against the wall next to it.

"I'm a doctor, Dust! I can't just say no to people! But it really is no problem." She nodded and began to turn to leave. However, she paused and turned to him, a bit too serious all of a sudden, "right...before I go I oughta tell you some...house rules I have."

Dust blinked as Tawny seemed to hesitate, as if she were briefly mulling something over, "Well...first of all, you cannot leave the house at night. Not to walk and not for fresh air, you have to wait until daytime."

Dust nodded, though confused. He wondered if this was just a rule for precautionary reasons.

Tawny cleared her throat, her green eyes travelling to the window that perched above the center bed, "no opening windows at night either. In fact...er...don't even look out of them at night. And don't go through any papers I have laying on the desk or in books or anything, please." She bobbed her head, looking a bit unsettled, but quickly shook it off, "...and...that should be it. Just come get me or call if you need anything. Goodnight!" With that, the rabbit bounded into the other chamber, presumably her bedroom.

Dust slipped off his satgat and laid it on the space next to him, blinking after Tawny. He could understand her request not to go rifling through her things, as it was naturally both rude and invasive, but couldn't quite place why she would forbid anyone to open...or even just glance out the windows at night. _Perhaps it's a superstition?_ The fox thought, reclining back onto the mattress and closing his eyes as the vertigo persisted. But then again, if it was such a big deal, why not hang curtains over the window to cover it with?

He opened his eyes a slight, giving a sideways glance to the window. He couldn't see much from his angle besides fragments of the night sky. He wondered if Tawny just had a paranoia of the darkness.

"Dust…"

Dust pricked his ears as Ahrah spoke up from where it was leaned against the wall, "Yes Ahrah?"

"This is very strange but...that interference I mentioned earlier…" The sword paused, "I feel it is coming from...this area."

"This village is interfering with you?"

"I believe so...though I can't fathom why. It's strange but...I don't believe things are...normal...here in this village."

"I suppose. I'd never heard of this place before even though it was apparently in The Glade." Dust remarked.

"Nor have I." Ahrah said softly, "...perhaps we will learn more about this village tomorrow, after some rest. You and Fidget need it desperately."

"I know." Dust murmured, yawning as he felt the first tugs of the medicine's drowsy side effect.

"Perhaps Fidget will be awake tomorrow as well. She may be small but she has grown stronger since accompanying you, Dust."

"I hope so…" The fox said softly. He turned his head to look over at Fidget's body, still motionless aside from her breathing. He yawned, "You'll be okay, Fidget. You can get through this…"

Within minutes, the room fell silent as Dust was pulled into a deep sleep.

…

Tawny herself hadn't fallen asleep yet, thumbing through a rather beaten book and scribbling furiously into it. After awhile of doing nothing but this, she urged herself to set down what she was doing and check on her patients to make sure they were where they were supposed to be. She knew in the past her warnings had unintentionally sparked foolish curiosity in some newcomers she had entertained in the past, and hoped this would not be the case this time

Tentatively she poked her head out of her room, silently sighing with relief as she spotted them both still heavily asleep.

The rabbit felt a twinge of guilt, however. She hadn't started slipping sleeping herbs into her medicines until the last few times she had newcomers sick from the rancor spores. She had done it enough times to assure it caused no other bad effects aside from a acute drowsiness, but it still felt vaguely awful each time.

Tawny flicked a glance at the window. It was late but not too late, so of course she wouldn't expect to see Them out and about just yet. She moaned nervously under her breath in spite of herself, withdrawing back into her bedroom.

She wordlessly picked up her book and continued to write.


	4. Chapter 4 - Ignis

A shrill scream awoke Dust the next morning.

He knew that scream could come from no one else but Fidget, and quickly bolted upright out of sleep.

Fidget was backed against the pillow on her bed, feebly flapping her wings in a futile attempt to take flight. Tawny stood at her bedside, holding her hands up in the universal gesture of posing no threat.

"Wh-who are you?! Wh-where am I?! What is th-this?!" Fidget shrieked, cut off by a hideous spell of coughing.

"Fidget!" Dust said, turning toward her, "calm down, everything's okay!"

Fidget's panicked wings slowed, and went limp at her sides, "D-Dust…?" The nimbat rasped, tiredly leaning back against the bed as her actions had left her exhausted, "Dust...where are we…? What happened…?"

Dust shot a look at Tawny, who nodded at him and turned to the tool desk next to Fidget's bed, "It's okay, Fidget. We're in a village called Briar-"

"Stop moving so much…" Fidget grumbled, rubbing her eyes with two small paws, "please…"

Dust frowned, "Fidget, I wasn't moving. I'm trying to tell you that we were attacked last night by rancor blossoms, and-"

"Tell me when we get to Aurora…" Fidget interrupted sleepily again, going limp on the pillow, "I'm glad you're back, by the way..." Her eyes fell shut.

"Fidget…!" Dust murmured worriedly. Tawny appeared behind him, touching his arm gently,

"I think she's a bit delirious…" The rabbit doctor said quietly, "to be honest, I was surprised she awakened so quickly, but she's still suffering. I think we should let her sleep a bit more before trying to talk to her."

Dust's eyes lingered on Fidget's body, watching her resume her eerily motionless slumber, "I suppose…"

Tawny cleared her throat, pushing a strand of hair back, "Anyways, how do you feel this morning, Dust?"

The fox blinked, realizing his dizziness and fatigue seemed to have gone away. His body still felt a bit heavy, but it was nowhere near as bad as the previous night, much to his relief, "a lot better, Tawny."

Tawny put a hand to his forehead briefly, and nodded, "Yes, looks like you're about over it to me, though I wouldn't be surprised if your cough hasn't completely gone away just yet."

"Right…" Dust nodded, "Um, Tawny, mind if I look around the village a little bit? I've actually never heard of this place before."

Tawny returned to the desk, appearing to be making up another dose of medicine for Fidget. She smiled brightly and nodded, "Sure, and don't worry, we're...a teensy bit out of the way, so I guess that's why no one...knows about us." Her smile went a bit crooked as she spoke, as if she disagreed with her own words. The look was gone in a second though, as she painted a sunny expression back onto her face, "I wouldn't be too chatty though, just to let you know. A lot of people in the village have been...well, crabby as of late. Maybe it's just the shift in season." She shrugged absently.

Dust retrieved his satgat and Ahrah, "Oh, okay then…" he said quietly, "will you and Fidget be alright here?"

Tawny had her smallest finger against Fidget's neck, gently checking her pulse, "Oh, of course. It's a good sign she at least was awake, even if confused. I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle." She frowned slightly at the feel of the nimbat's pulse, and plucked the container of medicine she had just made from the desk, "Anyways, take it easy, Dust. Don't go messing with any weird plants or anything."

"Why would I do that?" Dust huffed, flattening his ears as Tawny chuckled. He crossed the floor to the front door, swinging it open, "I probably won't be gone long." he assured over his shoulder.

"Okay!" Tawny called in acknowledgement, beginning to prop Fidget up to take her medicine. Dust's gaze watched them for a moment before he let himself outside.

"Well, she's a bit odd." Dust remarked to himself under his breath, casting a look back at Tawny's house as he walked off her front step, "I mean...in a not-so-good way. Was it just me, or did she seem...I don't know...kind of secretive?"

"I cannot make any assumptions on Tawny's character, Dust." Ahrah hummed at his side, "but like I said last night, there is something a bit strange about this village. You might as well explore and see what it has to offer."

"Right…" Dust murmured, crossing one of the small bridges laid over one of the ponds. The bridge dipped a bit under his weight and creaked, as if it were on the verge of snapping then and there. Dust felt the fur along his spine bristle in alarm, and stepped back off the bridge, not much in the mood to risk plunging into a probably freezing pond. Perhaps he'd just go around.

"Ha! You're scared of a piece of wood?"

The icy blue canine spun around to see a short-statured figure peering at him from a narrow space between two houses. The figure was rather a very pale gray with black hair that stuck out in all directions and fell in his face, nearly concealing his two black, triangular ears.

The figure stepped out into view, wearing a very plain red shirt and denim shorts. It was a child.

"You're a newcomer, aren't you?" the kid called out to him, a wry smile stuck on his muzzle. His heavily furred tail whisked around his ankles behind him, almost playfully. Dust blinked,

"I suppose I am. We just arrived here last night." he replied primly, inwardly irked that the child had witnessed his uncertainty over crossing a bridge. He'd fought hordes of monsters and soldiers single-handedly not so long ago, and yet had a moment of apprehension about crossing a somewhat unsteady bridge. Dust huffed at the thought.

"Yeah, sure you did." the kid mewled, locking his arms behind his back and rocking on his heels, "They always come around and they always go to Miss Tawny's house and then they…" The kid trailed off, biting his lip and rolling his yellow eyes to the sky, "well, I dunno. Stuff."

"Okay…?" Dust murmured, not exactly sure what he meant. _Maybe he's just bored_. He thought with a small shrug. He hadn't seen any other children the evening before, and didn't hear any at present aside from the one talking to him. He coughed slightly and turned to walk away, "I have to go, if you don't need anything from me, that is."

"Yeah, you do that." The boy said somewhat strangely, but when Dust turned to look at him again, he was still wearing that smirk of his, "I'm Ignis, by the way."

Before Dust could reply to that, the boy named Ignis suddenly sped by at a shocking speed for his size, stopping abruptly in the middle of the bridge Dust had tried to cross earlier. With a toothy grin, the boy jumped up and down on the wood, giggling and sending large ripples across the pond.

"Hey, don't do that! You could fall in!" Dust warned, stepping forward and expecting any second to hear the sound of wood splintering and the splash of a body falling in. Ignis stopped jumping, and let out a hearty laugh,

"Nuh-uh! These bridges have been around for hundreds n' hundreds n' hundreds of years without even the tiniest break! Don't be such a baby!" The boy taunted, skipping off the other side of the bridge and darting out of sight.

"What's with that kid?" Dust huffed, "does he know how obnoxious he sounds?"

"Easy Dust...:" Ahrah soothed quietly, "children are children, not all are as polite as the ones you have met prior."

"I guess." The fox murmured, stepping back up to the start of the bridge again. Perhaps it only looked undurable, the kid certainly demonstrated it wasn't as uncertain as it looked. Dust looked around momentarily before starting across, ignoring the creaking, and made it about halfway before-

 _ **SNAP!**_

…

"Oh dear, looks like one of the bridges broke again…"

Dust gave a sideways look at an older man standing off to the side of a house, ears flat with annoyance and dampness. He was sopping wet and tracking puddles throughout the village, determinedly trying to ignore looks and snickers that came from the people around him. He was just glad it wasn't cold out today.

The older man looked genuinely sympathetic though, as if he'd seen this happen before, which wasn't unlikely. Dust wasn't sure if he should be annoyed with his pity or grateful he wasn't laughing like the others.

"Don't fret none about it, young'un. Happens to all our newcomers. It's like a curse or something." The old man gave a light chuckle, running a hand through his silvery beard, "I'll have to tell Angel we have another bridge down, she won't be very happy about it though."

"Angel?" Dust questioned, deciding to let the conversation take place, despite his mood being as dampened as his being.

"Yes, she's our village repairman...er...woman. It's interesting, in fact. She was the last to come here before you...ah! Here she is now!" The man turned and a rather heavy set female came lumbering by, a crate of wood, nails, and a hammer held by a strap in her gloved hand. She had a nick in both of her rounded ears, and short ruffled blonde hair, contrasting with her rather dusky body.

"Alright, I heard everyone laughing about the drenched cat or whatever trudging through town, where's the broken bridge at?" Angel growled in a gruff voice. Her dark eyes turned steely as she looked over Dust, "You. Show me the bridge you broke."

"Uhh…" Dust took a step back, trying to think of something appeasing to say. The girl was much taller than he was, and exuded a threatening and very irritated demeanor. From first glance, he knew it'd be wise to not get on her bad side. Dust cleared his throat and turned back in the direction he came, "It's uh...this way."

The laughing started up again as he headed back toward Tawny's house, and Dust flattened his ears in displeasure. Angel jerked her head sharply at one of the onlookers, and they all fell into an uneasy silence, "Annoying, the lot of these people."

"It wasn't bothering me much," Dust lied, continuing and trying to keep a brisk pace so Angel would not be annoyed at moving slow. Silence grew between them, and Dust absently gazed over some of the nearby houses, "So ah...I heard you were the last one to visit here before us…"

"Yep." Angel replied, "what of it?"

The fox turned his head to look at her again, head tipping back a bit as she loomed over him, "Well...isn't it weird this place doesn't seem to be very well known, even though it's right next to another village? Aurora, it's called."

"Aurora Village…" Angel echoed, almost dreamily. Dust blinked in surprise. Finally, someone who knew of the place!

"Yes, in fact my friend and I were trying to find it the other day, but we were in a part of The Glade we weren't so familiar with. We ended up detouring here after a run-in with some...not so friendly wildlife."

"The rancor blossoms." Angel huffed, "They oughta do something about those things."

"Excuse me but, who is 'they'?" Dust questioned, hoping Angel wouldn't mind his inquiries. Angel looked at him, frowning,

"You ask a lot of questions, kid." She rumbled. She didn't look necessarily angry or annoyed at this point, mostly questioning and confounded, as if she wasn't used to being asked about things.

"Am I prying? No one in this village seems to be very...informational about things around here." Dust murmured.

"Yeah, I know."

"So...why haven't I heard of this village before?"

"Is this the place?"

Dust frowned. They'd reached the spot where he had fallen through the sabotaged bridge all too soon, and he worried he'd lost Angel's attention, "...Yeah, right here."

Angel knelt down by the end of the bridge and pried off the splintered edges of the wood, tossing them to the side, "You really did a number on this thing, sheesh." she muttered, reaching into her crate for several planks of wood.

"Actually...I saw a boy jumping on the bridge before I crossed it. I thought it was more durable." Dust said, and tried not to jump as Angel snapped her hard gaze toward him,

"You calling my handiwork weak?" she hissed, and Dust held up his hands,

"No! No ma'am...I didn't mean it that way. It just didn't occur to me at the time the bridge could have been damaged…" He evaded, and relaxed as Angel accepted his words and went back to working.

"Who was this 'kid', anyways?" The bear asked, pulling a few nails from her tool crate.

Dust shrugged, "Well uh, he said his name was Ignis. After jumping on your bridge he ran off someplace." He paused, blinking in surprise as he saw Angel freeze, turning her head slowly to look at him.

"Ignis…?" her voice had dropped to a whisper, her eyes wide and scared. Dust nodded tentatively. _Why would she look so shocked about a mere child?_ He wondered, and froze himself as Angel slowly drew herself back up to her feet, stepping toward him.

"Listen...listen here, whoever you are…" She hissed in a low voice, a mixture of fear and frustration and desperation.

"D-Dust…" Dust quietly offered, and Angel blew out an annoyed breath.

"Listen _Dust._ You go back to Tawny and just...just stay there for the rest of the day and night, will you? Don't come out for nothin'." Angel leaned in close, almost nose-to-nose with the fox, "Got it?"

"But why? What's wrong with Ignis?" Dust asked, instinctively tightening his grip on Ahrah, "and...how did you know I was staying with Tawny?"

"Don't...don't ask me right now. Just do what I said, alright? And don't ever...ever talk to Ignis...Understand?" When Dust hesitated, she pushed herself closer, almost knocking the smaller animal over, " _Understand?_ "

"I really don't, can't you just-"

"Angel!"

Angel turned around toward a figure standing off in the distance. Dust saw her pupils shrink to pinpoints on the spot. He tried to lean over and look past Angel to see who it was, but they were indistinguishable in the distance.

"Go, Dust." She snarled in a lowered voice, with enough restrained ferocity to convince him. Dust quickly backed away, slipping into Tawny's house without a word. He left the door cracked open, and peered out to see Angel gathering her tools and supplies back up, walking off in the direction he had seen the figure standing.

When she was out of sight, Dust eased the door closed.

"Did something happen, Dust?"

Tawny.

He turned around to face her. She had changed into a darker gown that was plainer than her previous one, and appeared concerned for him, "Oh my, you're all wet! Did you fall in one of the ponds? Oh goodness, why didn't you come straight back? You could catch cold"

"I'm fine Tawny, one of the bridges just gave out." He huffed, leaning over to catch a glimpse of Fidget lying in the back. She still appeared to be asleep, but at least she wasn't so still this time.

"Oh my...did it? Our handywoman usually does such a good job at making them sturdy."

"You mean Angel?"

Tawny smiled, clasping her hands together, "Ah, you met her?"

Dust nodded, "Yeah uh...she's pretty tall." He muttered, and cleared his throat, "By any chance, does she...dislike children?"

The rabbit frowned, "Dislike children? Why would you think that?"

"Well it's just...I happened to mention this one kid's name that I'd spoken to earlier. She seemed to get really agitated about it." he replied. _It's like she was scared of Ignis, or something._

Tawny's eyes darkened, "Oh my...perhaps she's just having a rough day and you misinterpreted it?"

"No, Tawny." Dust huffed. Ahrah had told him this place was disrupting its powers, and with Tawny and Angel's odd behavior, along with just how this place was simply _unknown_ in general, it was time to find out what was really happening here.

Tawny blinked in bemusement at Dust's tone, "What?"

"There's something very off about this place, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Nobody except Angel has heard of Aurora Village, which should be close enough to be aware of. I nor anyone knew of this place before we'd come here on accident. Then you tell me not to look out of the window during the night and Angel appears afraid of some kid named Ignis." He growled, watching evenly as Tawny took a step back for each thing he listed.

"Not to mention…" Ahrah suddenly spoke up, "the disturbance I sense here. There is something unnatural here, something foreboding."

"Your sword...can speak…?" Tawny murmured within her shock and fear.

"We should leave…" Dust murmured, "there's something wrong with your village."

"Y-you can't leave!" Tawny cried, stuttering profusely, "your friend, the n-nimbat...she isn't recovered yet!"

"I can carry her, and we'll go back to finding Aurora Village." Dust growled, "as for the rancor blossoms, I'll destroy them beforehand."

"No…" Tawny whimpered, and Dust could see the tears welling in her eyes, "no, no please…"

"What _is_ going on then, Tawny? I know you know something, and you're hiding it from us! What is _wrong_ is this place?"

"You can't leave…" The rabbit whimpered, hugging her body in fear, "They know you came here, and they would have sealed the entrance by now. It always happens. Newcomers come in but _they never leave_ …"

"Why not?" The fox hissed, "who are 'They'?"

A sob burst from Tawny's chest, and she covered her eyes as tears dripped off her fingers and dampened her fur, "They know everything...and everyone who comes in. They hold us here. And every few hundred years, They...They open the entrance for more. When the seven day period ends, the newcomers forget, forget….forget everything…"

Dust paused, still unsure of what this all was supposed to mean. He hesitated to speak, watching Tawny weep fearfully by herself, "...Tawny...are you all in trouble by something…?" he asked, lowering his voice.

Tawny was still except for the heaving of her chest, but she managed a nod.

"We can help you, Tawny…" She shook her head. "Yes, we can Tawny. You need to tell me what's happening. Why are we all trapped here? What...happened to you all…"

Tawny's sobs grew quieter, dying into tearful shudders. Dust waited.

"We…" when she spoke again, her voice was creaky with tears, "I...our village...it's cursed…" she drew in a shaky breath, stepping past Dust and fastening the deadbolt on her door. She cast a reproachful look at the window on the opposite wall, and grabbed Dust's arm, "C-come with me...I'll tell you...but no one can know I did…"


	5. Chapter 5 - Them

Tawny led Dust into her bedroom, which was a very snug space with very little in it. There was a small bed in the corner that looked like it could only fit Tawny by herself, a small table next to it, and a desk and chair by the head of the bed, facing opposite to a small set of shelves on the other wall. Tawny's desk had papers and books stacked atop it, with one beaten-looking one laying in the center. She wordlessly picked it up and stared at its worn leather cover morosely, as if she were resigning to the fact there would be no going back, and turned back toward Dust, "This is my book I've been recording in. I've several papers and things with writings related to it but this has the majority of it." she explained softly, opening to the first page.

Tawny's writing was a bit scrawly and hard to decipher, but the first page appeared to be a simple journal entry, talking about having an outing in the woods. She flipped through the pages, pausing on each one for enough time to see it but not long enough to read it completely. The first few pages appeared to be normal recordings about Tawny's outings and eventual arrival to Briarheart.

"This village is cursed…" Tawny murmured, with no trace of her usual cheerful demeanor, "The people here are cursed to be sealed here forever, with no hope of ever leaving this village. And the reason no one tries to escape is because they do not remember the day they were cursed."

"They don't remember?" Dust echoed questioningly, watching the rabbit flip to a page that detailed a rough sketch of Briarheart's buildings. Her drawings looked better than her writing.

"No...that was part of the curse. They would forget they were trapped here, and feel no urge to leave the village. Not that they can, anyway. The entire village and the territory around it is enclosed by great stone walls, only open to the sky. The only way out of the village is sealed shut by forces I cannot comprehend…" Tawny whimpered, a shiver travelling through her body. Her eyes were wide with fear and reluctance to keep explaining, but she did so anyways, as she couldn't stop now,

"They did it. They keep us here, and I don't know why. They sometimes open the entrance for a few days, but we cannot leave regardless. It can only let people in, not out. And shortly after the newcomers arrive, the entrance shuts. In a few more days, the newcomers forget everything from the outside world and settle here, with no intention of ever going back. Those people think they have lived here forever…"

"A few more days…?" Dust murmured with growing dread, "How many days...exactly…? And who are 'They'?"

Tawny closed her eyes and briefly wiped her wrist across her face to dry her tears, "I think...in you and your friend's case...you have three days left before you too forget everything and become one of us. Destined never to leave."

At the second question, Tawny turned her body slightly, as if she inwardly wanted to pretend she didn't hear it. For a moment, Dust thought she would outright ignore his inquiry, but she finally turned back around, her voice hesitant and afraid, "'They' run this place. They come out at night and watch us through our windows to make sure we are where we're supposed to be, and it's...why I told you never to go outside or look out of the windows at night. You would see them, and perhaps you would try to escape and...terrible things would happen... That long path that leads away from the village, into the woods? It leads to the place where They live. No one is allowed to go there. No one even tries."

"And this book you have...writing things down keeps you from losing your memory?" Dust asked, looking down as Tawny's journal entries became more illegible and yet written as if in procedure. There were sketches of some of the other villagers, probably those who were once newcomers that had succumbed to the curse. The pages went on and on, describing many new people and occasionally pining for home, a place Dust had never heard of called Myssyk Village.

"Yes. In fact...I believe I am the first newcomer to not succumb to Their curse. The way to avoid losing your memory is to write it down, but while it saves your memories, you still cannot leave. They...They know about it as well. They allow me to document who comes in and what my life had been before, as They were surprised I had not lost my memory like everyone else...with the exception that I don't tell anyone, or try to use it against Them…" Tawny's head lowered, and a sob escaped her, "Which is...what I'm doing now...oh no…"

"Tawny…" Dust murmured softly, laying a hand on her shoulder for comfort, "It's okay. They won't find out, and I'll put a stop to this."

"You don't get it!" Tawny moaned, remembering quickly to keep her voice down, "nothing escapes Them! They are aware of everything! They know what we do, what we say...They know...everything…" Tawny dropped to her knees, her shoulders slumped, "This...this is condemning myself...I've...I'm dead…"

"You're not dead, Tawny!" Dust insisted, kneeling next to her, "If you think this is certain death for you to be revealing your secret to me, why did you do it?"

Tawny was silent for a moment, and then she raised her head a bit to reply, "Perhaps...I thought for a moment...that it wouldn't be...and I could tell my secret to someone else…someone who might do something about it…" She sniffled, hugging her body, "This is such a heavy burden to bear…"

"Someone else…?" The fox echoed, "Is there someone else in the village that knows about the curse as well?"

"Yes…" Tawny whimpered, "you met her today. Angel, she's been documenting too, and They allow it I suppose...I wasn't supposed to tell her either but the knowledge of this was killing me. I was surprised They weren't as upset as they could have been...They allowed it, so long as she kept quiet as well…"

"Strange...why allow another person to know what They are doing if it's seemingly so vital to keep it secret…?" Dust asked, recalling all of Angel's odd behaviors.

"I don't know...perhaps They...in a strange way...understood why? I was losing it…" She laid the book on the floor in front of her, resuming leafing through the pages. There were a several pages that were just lines of scribbles and single sentences, a visual to punctuate Tawny's statement, "I had to tell someone...and that day, Angel happened to be there to fix my front door that had been falling off its hinges at the time. It was amazing that They let me at least live after my slip-up, and I managed to cling to my sanity a bit longer knowing I wasn't alone…" the pages became slightly clearer again, with sketches of Angel and her home and the tools she carried with her. Tawny's face darkened, "but it would be stupid to think They would think this was a simple error that would never happen again. In fact, this probably pushed me into further trouble with Them. They know I am weak and shaken now, and They don't know how long Angel will last. Perhaps that's why they sent Ignis."

"That kid?" Dust prompted, remembering his strange nature and Angel's apparent uneasiness toward him. He had suspected there was something a bit...off...about that child, but hadn't associated it with Them.

"Yes. He...doesn't belong to anyone here. He just...appeared one day. The villagers are none the wiser, though. They think his parents are just brooding inside and are never really inclined to find out. Ignis...he's one of Them, or something created by Them, to watch us. I believe They see through him, blending in with us and making extra sure we are doing what we are supposed to do." The rabbit whispered, another tremble running through her body.

"I see…" Dust said, watching the turning pages slow as Tawny reached her most recent entries. Entries that detailed the arrival of a robed figure and a nimbat, both ill from the rancor blossoms. There was a rough sketch of him, and of Fidget, and an undetailed one of Ahrah. There was even a side note about how she wouldn't bother to try and draw all of the details, "Do you...know how long this has been going on?"

Tawny frowned, "A very long time...hundreds of years...perhaps…" she blinked her eyes shut, "newcomers arrive and talk of places and events I've never heard of. I've come to believe that perhaps this place is not only suspended in space, but in time as well. Though time only seems to stop again once the newcomers succumb to their memory erasure." She shook her head, "It feels like only a few months time here, but I hear talk of new places and old places vanishing. I've never heard of your Aurora Village before, never heard of it being in The Glade where I often went from my old village of Myssyk. I don't hear talk of that place anymore. I think it's gone now, along with everyone I've ever known there..."

"Tawny...I'm so sorry…" Dust whispered, truly taken aback by her theory that the village was trapped in time. It sounded devastating, the idea of only a few months in Briarheart equating to years and years of time outside. Even if one did escape from this place, they might as well emerge somewhere completely different. Their family and friends would most likely be long dead, and they would become a stranger in their own home.

"Nothing can be done about it, and I've come to terms with it awhile back anyways. I'll miss my family and my friends, but I've accepted that...I won't ever see them again." she lowered her head miserably. Dust patted her back reassuringly, though he wasn't sure how effective it was,

"Tawny...tell me who They are, exactly." He said, "I'm going to find Them, wherever they are. I'll stop this curse."

"You can't, Dust…" Tawny whimpered, "They can't be stopped...I don't even think They're...corporeal...They'll kill you, Dust…"

"I can at least try, can't I? Do you know for sure they aren't corporeal?"

"Well...I've never actually seen Them personally...in Their domain…" she shook her head, whirling toward Dust, "no...this is insane. You can't do this, Dust! They'll kill you! They'll kill me as well!"

"I won't give them the chance to." Dust assured, regaining his feet. Tawny leapt up and grabbed him,

"No, please…"

"Tawny…" Dust growled, closing his hand over where hers were locked on his arm, "You told me all of this information, and expect me not to do anything about it? You couldn't have told me this, believing completely that it would just mean the death of you and I. What did you expect, that Fidget and I would become like you and Angel, forever trapped here and writing down our memories and basically becoming enslaved to Them?!"

"N-no...I wouldn't...I just…"

"Tawny, what's done is done. You must have known what you were getting yourself into…" He paused as Tawny began to weep again, as the reality of it all sunk in. His voice softened, feeling remorse for his bluntness, "we have the chance to stop this, once and for all. I can go and confront Them, and I can break the curse, and you all can be free from this prison."

Tawny was silent, the tears still streaming down her face hopelessly.

"Please believe me, I _will_ set you all free."

Tawny sniffled, her grip loosening. She wiped her eyes, which had grown red from her crying. She nodded slowly, almost as if she were trying to still convince herself, "A-alright...you can...you can try, I suppose. I guess I knew...what could happen if I spoke again…" she paused to steady her breathing, but she still looked drained, "but please, Dust, listen to me this one time. Please wait until morning to go and find Them...don't go and find Them at night...I think They are stronger in the darkness…"

Dust paused. It was late afternoon by now, and while with the thought of only having three days left to escape with him and Fidget, he didn't like the idea of wasting valuable time just waiting around. Then again, he wasn't sure how long the path to Their domain was. He didn't know enough about Them to doubt Tawny's advice that They would be stronger at night. Perhaps it would be best to at least bide his time until morning.

He nodded, "Alright, Tawny. I'll wait until morning."

Tawny nodded, "Thank you, thank you Dust…" but paused again, "I'm sorry...I have one more request…"

Dust waited.

"Dust...I...I have no idea if you will actually be able to break the curse. But...if you are able to at least open yourselves an avenue to escape...I beg you to take it. Please, I want you to prioritize yourselves above us. We may as well be a lost cause...and perhaps it would bring me some peace to know you at least escaped…"

"Tawny…"

"Please Dust! Promise that if you get the chance to escape, you'll do it! I don't want your blood on my hands...I don't want you to die for us...please just save your nimbat friend and yourself…"

"Tawny, I can't promise this…"

"You must! Please! Think about it! If you escape, you might be at a better chance of maybe helping us...from the outside...I don't know...just please don't sacrifice yourself for us…"

Dust was silent. It was a rotten thing to promise to leave these people behind to protect himself. But then, Fidget would be one of the ones he would be protecting as well.

He could feel the conflict within him arise, an argument over whether he should listen and abandon Briarheart village at the soonest chance, or risk his own life to save them.

He wasn't sure. Tawny would probably force him to agree. And perhaps it was Cassius's side that compelled him to choose self-preservation over selfless sacrifice. He sighed, feeling himself succumb to that side, to Tawny's pleas, as much as the rest of him hated it.

"Alright, Tawny...:I promise…"

…

Dusk gathered outside, and Dust watched the single window in the room gradually darken. He looked down at Fidget, still quietly asleep. Starting tomorrow, there would only be two days left to hope to escape Briarheart village, would Fidget be any better by then? She had only just awoken today from her unconsciousness, and she still appeared listless and feeble in her bed. He wasn't sure if she could endure being moved just yet, the rancor blossom illness had hit her hard. And he still wasn't sure of where Aurora village could be in relation to the cavern they had entered Briarheart village from. Would be be able to find it in time? Would Fidget be able to last that long, being moved about? She had survived this long, but she was still very weak.

Dust almost considered waiting one more day to see if Fidget would at least be a little further along in her recovery to deal with being shifted, but he also couldn't risk losing precious time and being sealed here forever. Fidget would never forgive him.

"Master...I can sense your conflict over your next course of action…" Ahrah spoke from where Dust had laid it against the wall near his bed.

"I thought you couldn't sense anything due to this place disrupting you?"

"I can't, but you are right next to me. I can at least tell you are in conflict."

"I suppose you could say that."

"You are struggling to choose between risking Fidget's life to escape or risking your time to better Fidget's chances of survival…"

"That's right, Ahrah." Dust sighed, watching the nimbat twitch slightly in her sleep. She rolled over onto her side, facing Dust. At least she was moving, that was an improvement.

"I can also sense she is still very weak...but not quite close to death...:"

"I still feel like it'd be dangerous to move her around already…"

"There isn't anything that can be done about it. You must make a decision."

Dust was about to ask Ahrah what to choose, but thought differently. The sword would probably not give its input, even in a situation as dire as this. It would want Dust to choose.

"Fidget…" Dust whispered, despite the fact she probably couldn't hear him, "I need you to be strong as always, alright? We don't have much time left...and if there's a chance I can escape and you can survive...I'll take that chance, but you have to be strong and not die before we get you back to a place where you can be helped, okay?"

Fidget was silent.

…

This was a stupid idea, she couldn't be out at night!

Tawny felt her arms trembling, nearly making her drop the rather heavy burden she carried. It felt like so long since she had been outside at night, and it unnerved her to no end. She knew They roamed this place at night, and was inwardly surprised to see that they didn't seem to be nearby tonight.

She wasn't sure what she was even doing, why in any rational part of her mind she would think this would work.

But as broken as her rationality felt, she had enough sense to know Dust's mission was a futile one. The curse couldn't be broken. An entrance couldn't be broken back open. And They definitely couldn't be defeated.

Therefore, he wouldn't be needing that sword of his.

She carried it wrapped in leather and tied with rope. She felt absolutely rotten about doing this, and she knew the guilt was just another thing to eat away at her for as long as she would still live in this sealed village. Her intention wasn't to sabotage Dust at all, and if she actually had believed what he believed about breaking the curse, she wouldn't be taking it at all.

She wanted appeasement.

At the entrance of the woodlands, just as the path had begun to disappear into darkness, Ignis stepped out in front of her. His boyish appearance and childish grin did nothing to soothe her shaking legs and fearful tears.

Ignis tipped his head, "Oh? You brought us a gift, Tawny? You never bring gifts, unless you've done a naughty thing."

Tawny muttered unintelligibly under her breath, terrified out of her wits. Her thoughts were jumbled, and yet unanimously screamed for her to compose herself.

Ignis smiled, "Did you say something, Tawny?"

"Uh...n-no I-"

"Did you say that we were all keeping you prisoner here and making you forget stuff and how it makes you sooo sad?" Ignis tipped his head the other way, giggling, "that's why you brought us the newcomer's sword, isn't it? You want us to not be mad again, like the time you gave us the kid that came with you when you first got here. Your adopted kid, I think? What was his name again…? Iggy, Isaac…?"

"P-please…" Tawny sobbed, laying the sword down in front of him, "I believe this thing has much power behind it...I even heard it speak as if it had a mind...certainly you will accept this from me…?"

"Izzy? Impy? ...Ah right, his name was Ignis. You gave us your own kid to stay alive when you blabbed to that bear girl that one time. Even though he wasn't blood-related to you, I bet he meant a lot to you? Not enough, seeing as how you gave him to us when we offered your life for his hollow shell of a body."

"Please...just take the sword…" Tawny pleaded, covering her ears, "Don't remind me of my past mistakes...please…"

"You're a coward, Tawny." Ignis murmured, smiling, "First a child, now one of the Blades of Elysium...surprisingly enough. But fine, we'll take your gift. It certainly is a prize we never thought we'd set eyes on." Ignis hummed, waving his small fingers as the blade was lifted into the air by a dark aura.

"Thank you...are...are you appeased, now…?" Tawny whispered, shaking and eyes wide with hope.

Ignis smiled and chuckled, a small sound that escalated into a loud, baying laugh, "Tawny...you said this was a gift...last time you appeased us, we were the ones to offer that trade. We didn't offer anything this time, Tawny…" Ignis frowned, shaking his head, "So we thank you for your contribution, but I'm afraid you've used up your bargaining chips, and our patience."

"Please no…! No! No!"

"Mother, you traded me away to the shadow people! You sabotaged the one thing that could have possibly set you free from the curse! Why are you such a coward, mother?" Ignis spoke in a soft, childish voice.

Tawny's sobs turned to shrieks as she fell to her knees, covering her ears, "Stop this!"

Ignis giggled again, and darkness swarmed out of the woodlands behind him.

"Cowards never get very far in life, Mother dearest."


End file.
